Silver Roses
by Beaslays
Summary: A standalone. Two years ago, a great hero underwent a journey that led to peace in the Bdaworld. Now, one of his friends, a former enemy, must undergo his own journey and find his own kind of peace. No pairings. AU. Bierce-centric. A rewrite.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Wow...it feels amazing to be posting B-daman fanfic again...

So, anyway, some info on this fic. This is sort of a rewrite of my old, old fic of the same title, Silver Roses. Honestly? This one is really just way better, since this time I'm taking time to develop Bierce's character. Also, there are no more videogame-only characters, though they may get cameos and I might sneak one in if anyone wants them around. This means, however, that this fic will have a fairly slow, if luxurious pace. I'll really be taking my time in this fic!

Now, for something very, very important. This fic is set in an AU verse. Let me repeat that for your convenience. **THIS FIC IS SET IN AN AU VERSE.** And it's one verse where there aren't actually any B-daman and the circumstances that brought the characters together are different but at the same time similar. Instead, everyone has totally unexplained magical powers, and this fic takes place after what would be the equivalent of B-daman Season One in this verse's timeline.

Also, the genres listed are total lies. This thing jumps around from horror to supernatural to family to adventure to hurt/comfort and back—and not necessarily in that order!

Note, by the way, that this fic is rated T primarily because of Enjyu's potty mouth, not because of the horror-ish stuff :P

**Disclaimer: **Battle B-daman, its characters and related media all belong to Takara/Hasbro/Inuki Eiji. This is a work made for fun and is not for profit in any way. Only the plot and the few original characters belong to Beaslays.

* * *

**Silver Roses**

**one**  
the darkness everywhere

Darkness.

It surrounded her, trying to enter her, seep into her, but she would not allow it. She would never allow it to. The darkness was everywhere around her; it was present in the muddy water trickling down the walls, in the rust eating away at the metal doors. It was in the air, choking her, and she could do nothing against it as she made her way over the debris-covered halls of the building she had taken refuge in.

She was a pretty thing, albeit broken. Her golden curls no longer shone as they once did, her bright green eyes glared at everything around her. The pink dress she wore was dirtied and torn, and she clutched a squirming bundle to her chest.

Two weeks, she had been running for two weeks. Then, this chance to rest presented itself and she had certainly been willing to take it. Eagerly, she had rushed into the run-down building, and found herself a simple dry corner to rest in.

It only took her a single night to start regretting her hasty decision.

The building was _alive_.

Screams reverberated through the halls; black, insect-like creatures crawled about, decorating the walls and the floor with jet-black trails of slime. Then there was the monster—a hulking mass of flesh that trudged through the corridors, dragging along a massive blade behind it. She had screamed when she first encountered it, and it had turned to her, revealing its mangled face. It had stared, long and hard at her, with a pair of flaming red orbs.

She'd screamed again, and begun running, her poor child clutched to her chest. The baby never cried now, it was always silent.

Then, when she finally found sanctuary and safety in the topmost floor of the building, she realized that she was not alone in this place.

"What…is this place?"

Her throat was dry as she spoke, having only been using her mouth to scream for hours on end. The stranger did not seem to notice her, his eyes still closed as he lifted his head, long black hair framing his pale face. He was dressed strangely, wearing long, flowing robes of dark blue and silver.

"You should not be here," he said, after many minutes of her waiting. He stood, clasping his hands together. "This is a home for demons."

She blinked, stepping around some debris to move nearer to him. As she moved nearer, he lowered his head and turned to her. Lazily, he opened his eyes, revealing a pair of red orbs as he ran his gaze over her, causing her to inhale sharply.

"You would bring new life to this damned house, woman?" he asked, walking towards her. He raised a hand, and, instinctively, she shrank away from it, her eyes wide as her gaze flitted from his face to his hand then back to his face.

"I…who…who are you?" she snapped, suddenly. "What the—what the hell is going on here? What's up with those demons? Why are they like that? _Who are you?_"

"Woman," he said, eyes never straying from her face, "You and your child will not survive this place."

Her eyes widened, and she began to move back, all the while pressing the baby closer to her chest. She could hear her heart pounding against her chest, and her breath hitched. The stranger followed her with his eyes, though he did not move. Soon, she felt her feet hit against something, and a quick glance told her that she had come up against a pile of rubble.

When she looked back up, the stranger was suddenly before her, his forehead nearly touching hers. Her eyes widened as she gasped and stepped back, her legs hitting rubble. Suddenly, she was falling backwards, her free arm flailing, and a yelp tore itself from her mouth.

Then, suddenly, she was _not_ falling. She blinked, looking around and finding that the stranger was staring at her intensely, a bony hand gripping her shoulder. His thin fingers dug into her skin, and she shivered as an icy sensation began to spread from where his hand touched her.

"_Leave_. And you may still live…"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yes, it really, really does feel amazing to be writing about these guys again! It's certainly relieving my stress, for one thing!

**Disclaimer: **Battle B-daman, its characters and related media all belong to Takara/Hasbro/Inuki Eiji. This is a work made for fun and is not for profit in any way. Only the plot and the few original characters belong to Beaslays.

* * *

**Silver Roses**

**two**  
no one's going to die this time

_Light._

_All around him, there was light. Bright, white light, everywhere he turned. It burned his eyes to keep on looking, but he found that he could not close his eyes. The light itself gave off such strong warmth that it seeped through his skin and all the way to his bones; it rose to his chest, where it spread and filled him in a way material objects never could._

_Lifting a shaking a hand, he reached out for the area before him. Briefly, he wondered if there was anyone else in this place of light before quickly dismissing the notion with a shake of his head._

_Something brushed against his shoulder; feather-light touches, almost like fingertips, and a voice whispered into his ears. The voice was barely discernible, ghostlike and constantly shifting in tone. He shivered as an icy sensation began to spread through him, pushing away the warmth of the light._

Demon child…

_He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists as he thrust his arms out before him. Something formed in the light; a faint shade of black vying to be seen. The 'shade' began to come to life, blackness knitting together to create a figure all too familiar to him. It twisted as it formed, and a scream tore from it, before it suddenly came to rest, kneeling at his feet. Color began to enter its form._

_Green, then red, then yellow, then blue, then orange. The colors began to swirl, rearranging themselves in order, mixing themselves to create more. It was as though a skilled artist had taken a brush to the figure._

_Slowly, he reached down to it, touching its inky head, where the oranges and reds had gathered the most. As his hand came into contact with it, the creature looked up at him—and he gasped when he saw its facelessness._

_Empty holes where eyes should have been. A thin gash in place of a mouth. A mere pinch of protruding flesh where the nose should have been._

_He screamed, lashing out and pushing the creature away as his eyes shut._

Demon child…! Take your weapon of choice…!

_Something heavy in his hand. He opened his eyes and blinked when he found a sword there, its black blade surrounded by a swirl of darkness and a thin, blood-red line running down its length._

Destroy the enemy…those humans who fear you…destroy the creatures who seek to use you…

_He looked down at the creature at his feet, it faceless head still raised, as though it were gazing at him. Resolve rising within him, he raised the sword high above the creature, and brought it down into its chest._

_Just as everything began to fade away, its face formed, and warm blue eyes that he knew so well looked up at him, sorrow evident in them as a pair of thin lips opened and a soft whisper escaped them._

"…why…?"

_He shrieked.

* * *

_

"He's waking…"

Soft hands on his chest, feather-light and fluttering like a butterfly.

"He was thrashing around so much this time."

"Someone keep Yamato outside. The last time he saw him like this…"

A name he knew. A name for someone he cared for. A name for the one he loved as a brother.

"Yeah, yeah, we know. I'll go keep him out."

"Thanks, Gray. All right, where's the medicine Mie bought?"

Sudden memory. Light. Darkness. Color. Yamato.

Murder.

He thrashed, kicking out at whoever held his legs and jerking against the strong hands clutching his shoulders.

"Over here—"

"Holy shit—that hurt!"

"Quick! Get the restraints!"

"Oh no—he's losing it!"

When had he jumped at the nearest person, bringing his hands around the person's neck? When had icy lavender eyes looked up at him, depths filled with understanding and pity?

Blurs everywhere. Gold there, blue here and red—

Red was everywhere.

Screams. Wait, they were his own. Shouts. Those around him. Hands clambering at him. Crying. More shouting. Then a single voice, reassuring, different—

"_Calm down, Bierce!_"

"Who in the name of Bdamage let him in!?"

He stopped moving, for a sliver of a second as his vision became clear. His red eyes locked with a pair of blue ones, gazing at him calmly, reassuringly, whispering to him softly in a voice unheard: _Trust me_.

Sudden pain, somewhere in his arm as strong hands grabbed him again. The pain gone, leaving only a feeling of heat and fire and burning.

His eyelids felt heavy.

And he fell to the floor. All the while, still gazing at those blue eyes just as he slipped into darkness.

* * *

The next time he woke, he was lying in a bed.

He blinked, sitting up and pushing the heavy blanket down. The room was small, and simply-furnished, with only a small desk in one corner. A single, other bed stood to the right of his own, and sitting there, watching his every movement with those blue eyes of his, was Yamato.

"Good morning," said the redhead, smiling.

He only stared.

Yamato grinned, standing up and putting a hand on Bierce's shoulder. "Usually, people say 'Good morning to you too' when I say that."

Bierce looked down at the blanket, away from Yamato. "Who…who did I…did anyone…"

The grip on his shoulder tightened as Yamato knelt, bringing himself down to Bierce's eye level. He spared a quick glance at the redhead, and immediately regretted it. The look of concern on Yamato's face was intense enough to nearly break what was left of Bierce's heart.

"Did I hurt anyone…?"

…_this time around?_ The unspoken words hung like a curtain between them. Bierce shifted, pulling his knees up to his chest as Yamato stood again before sitting down on the bed. Right next to Bierce. Before wrapping his arms around him.

"Well," said Yamato, breaking the silence, "Gray has a black eye."

"Oh."

"But then, that was 'cause I kind of punched him to get in here."

A small smile crept onto Bierce's face as he turned to look at Yamato, the redhead grinning and placing a hand on Bierce's head and ruffling his dark hair. He stood once more, turning to Bierce with a smile.

"I better go tell Mie you're up and at it again," said Yamato, moving to the door and opening it. "Try not to fall into a psycho-rage again while I'm gone?"

Bierce chuckled, pulling the blankets closer to his body. As Yamato begun to shut the door, a thought occurred to him, and he faltered for a moment, before quickly calling out, "Thank you…Yamato."

Yamato stopped, looked at him, and grinned. "No need for thanks, Bierce," he said, "You'll always have someone to help you."

And with that, he was gone and the door was shut.

_Thank you. Thank you._ The words ran through Bierce's head with no end, and he groaned, shaking his head, as the single word that he could have said—_wanted_ to have said—echoed on and on in his head.

_Brother. Thank you, brother.

* * *

_

Soft clinks filled the room as they dined in silence. Not a single chair was empty, Bierce noted, as he briefly raised his head from his food to glance around the room. Usually, there were several chairs unoccupied, but today….

"So," said Yamato loudly from the head of the table and breaking the silence, "How was the trip, Enjyu?"

Bierce raised his head, looking at Enjyu. The older redhead was seated at the other end of the table, an amused smirk on his scarred face. At Yamato's question though, the smirk faded, replaced by a grin.

"Fun," said Enjyu, twirling his fork, "I got to beat up some morons who thought they were my level."

A few of the others at the table snickered, some laughing outright. Bierce remained silent, scanning the table instead.

A pair of blondes sat to Yamato's right—the Vincent twins. Indeed, as Yamato had said earlier, the male half, Gray, had a black eye, and he was frowning even as Enjyu went on talking. The female half, Liena, was leaning over the table, listening attentively to everything Enjyu was saying. Perhaps that was partially the reason Gray looked upset, mused Bierce. It had become evident to everyone that Liena was interested in Enjyu.

Across Gray, and next to Bierce, sat one of the youngest in their group. Terry McScotty had a head full of blue hair and had a Western Continent accent so thick that Bierce could hardly understand anything that came out of the boy's mouth. Still, Yamato understood him perfectly, and the two were nearly inseparable.

At the moment though, the boy was preoccupied with something, his gaze darting around. Suddenly, he stood, whispering something to Yamato before dashing out of the room, leaving an untouched plate behind.

Bierce frowned, narrowing his eyes at Terry's empty seat. He had never seen the younger boy act so tense and jittery before.

Something had frightened Terry.

The thought that something had frightened someone as calm and infallible as Terry, sent shivers down Bierce's spine.

"Bierce? Are you all right?" The soft, highly feminine voice of none other than Karat Watt, Princess of Neon City, was enough to calm him. He turned to her, blinking.

"I…I'm not sure."

"If you're still…ill," she said, sapphire eyes filled with concern, "You're free to rest. We won't ever stop you from having some if you need it."

"No…" said Bierce, shaking his head, "That's not it. Something feels wrong."

"If this has to do with Terry's excusing himself…" began Karat, placing a hand on his shoulder. He tensed at her light touch, trying to keep the urge to flinch away suppressed.

"Hey, Bierce," called the boy seated across Karat, "Maybe you _should_ get some rest! You look like a ghost, man!"

Wen Yong-fa. Bierce glared at the brunette, clenching his fist. Wen was ever the joker, and his younger brother, seated between him and Enjyu, was the biggest prankster to ever grace the Bdaworld. Granted, Li Yong-fa was not just a prankster—he was easily one of the best trap makers in the world.

Li chuckled, his oddly colored eyes shining as he turned his gaze towards Bierce.

"Don't mind this moron," he said, offering a smile, "He's just jealous that Karat cares about you more than she cares about him."

Bierce snorted, and Karat laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. Wen promptly turned to Li, and the two were off, arguing rapidly with each other and eventually shooting off jokes at each other's expense. A brief flicker of pain passed through Bierce's heart as he watched them, though he quickly shrugged it off.

He turned to Karat, feeling the need for some conversation with his old friend, but the girl had turned away, instead, she was talking to the other dark haired boy seated next to her. Her fiancé, Bull Borgnine.

Bull was easily the most loved of their group, next to Yamato. The quiet, clumsy boy had a bright smile and was highly attracted to food. He was also unusually bright for his age, and it was for this reason that Yamato often turned to him for advice.

Yet, the boy was also a total mystery to them. None of them knew where he came from, or why he had come to Yamato that one stormy night. They also certainly had no inkling of any possible reasons as to why Bull had split personality.

The boy had three. His current, the innocent and clumsy self, a less clumsy and brighter one, and a third that only Enjyu had met. Bull himself never seemed to know if he was in one of the varying personalities and the two whom Bierce had met where just so distinct and different from each other that Bierce thought may as well have been different people.

Bull's second self had once told Bierce that Karat was the only reason he was still sane.

"Aagh!" Every head in the room turned to Yamato, who had fallen off his chair with a yelp of pain. The redhead stood a moment later, clutching his chest, before holding out his hand to reveal a small black stone. Its surface shone, suggesting smoothness, and it fit neatly in Yamato's palm.

Yamato curled his fingers over it again before pocketing the stone. His eyes held none of the light they usually did, and his gaze passed over each of his friends.

"Dinner's over," he announced quietly, "We've got an emergency."

What followed was the loud scraping of eight chairs being pushed back as everyone else present at the table stood, dinner at the very back of their minds.

Bierce narrowed his eyes, gripping the edge of the table as he turned his attention back to Yamato. An odd sensation had taken root in his stomach and was spreading from there. He felt dizzy, nauseous even, as his mind raced. Dozens of possibilities went through his head as unanswered questions appeared as well. Who had sent the black stone? Did it involve Terry? Why had they sent the stone?

"It's that Gold Dragon guy again!" shouted Enjyu, slamming a hand into the table. Karat shot him a glare as he sent some food spilling onto the table. "I say we go and finish him off!"

"No," said Yamato, shaking his head, "He hasn't done anything to us—'

"Bullshit!"

"—of great damage," continued Yamato, raising his voice with a sharp look at Enjyu, "And we're not even sure if it's him again."

"What exactly happened anyway?" asked Wen. The older Yong-fa brother was playing with his long ponytail and looking absolutely bored.

"It's Terry," said Yamato, "The stone—it's a signal Terry and I use. If either one of us is in a really dangerous situation, as in, life-threatening, we'll send our stone to each other. We each have one, and mine's coded to look for Terry's sig if I teleport it."

"I'll try searching for him," said Liena, and when Yamato nodded, she closed her eyes and began to hum softly.

* * *

Liena's scream of pain startled him as he had been watching her silently. She screamed again, her eyes snapping open as she fell to her knees. He rushed to her side, taking hold of her shoulders and looking into her large, blue eyes. Tears of pain streaked down her cheek.

"Liena…" he whispered, gently shaking her as Gray and Yamato arrived at their side, "What did you see?"

She shook her head, closing her eyes though she trembled. "I-I couldn't find him…He…he must be somewhere near a lot of interceredite."

Gray pulled her thin form to him then, away from Bierce's grasp. He hugged her, holding his younger sibling tight and whispering words of comfort to her. Yamato moved towards them, wrapping his arms around both twins before pulling away to look at Bierce.

"Interceredite," said Yamato, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, "The only thing that can hurt a Seer…"

"Interceredite is only naturally found near places with plenty of ice," said Wen, grinning as he arrived to the right of Bierce.

"And the only place with that much ice," said Li with a soft smile as he arrived to the left of Bierce, "Is Delta Rock.

"It's why we used that place when we first fought you, Yamato," added Wen, "That way, Gray couldn't have found us."

"So Terry's on Delta Rock," said Bull from the door. He had shifted to his second self, with his dark hair hanging over one gray eye and the other stonily scanning the room. "And now we just gotta figure out how the heck he got there in the first place."

"We can do that later," said Yamato, "Right now, we have to go save him!"

"_Sure!_" said Enjyu standing up from where he sat in the corner. Everyone turned to watch him as he walked over to Yamato, "Let's run headfirst at some unknown enemy to save Blueberry! _Again!_"

"This isn't going to end like last time," said Yamato, sending a warning glare at Enjyu, "No one's going to die this time. I'm making sure of that!"

"Yeah, sure," said Enjyu, snorting, "Maybe no one's going to die because there's no Jou to die for Blueberry this time."

Yamato froze, his eyes widening as he realized Enjyu's words and he began to tremble, his fists clenched.

Bierce had just readied himself to avert any fights when, suddenly, a blast of wind sent him flying back and into the wall. He blinked as he sat against the wall and looked around the room, noting that everyone else was somewhere near the walls, each trying to regain composure.

Everyone except the Vincent twins. The two still stood where they had been just before the wind blast. Gray had his hands spread out, and he was glaring at Enjyu, who had ended up a small distance away from Bierce. Liena stood behind her brother, hands on her waist and frowning, her eyes still raw from her tears.

"That's enough from you!" snarled Gray, pointing fervently at Enjyu, "This isn't the time to be bringing _that_ up! We have to go save Terry, and we're going to save him no matter what, _with or without you!_"

Enjyu stood, his eyes locked onto Gray fiercely and defiantly as he made his way across the room and towards the door. The redhead pulled the door open, its hinges protesting at his strength, crossed the threshold, shot Gray a final glare and slammed the door shut.

Bierce grimaced, bracing himself for the firestorm that would come next.

Just as Bierce had expected, the moment Yamato regained himself, he began shouting at both Gray and Enjyu.

* * *

Reviews are very, _very_, very, **_very_** much appreciated. Let me know what you think, because really, is it too much for me to ask you to at least drop a few words? Any and all opinions on this fic are welcome--flames, however, WILL be fed to Yamato. I'm sure he'd love that.

Oh, by the way, more information on the background of this AU will be made available on my Livejournal eventually...eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey kids! It's time for an update...!

So, Yamato and gang will be gone for a bit, but don't worry, they'll be back soon enough! This just makes room for Bierce's character. Also, the first major OC shows up in this chapter--but, like it says in the summary, no pairings. With canon characters anyway. Well then, let's see what happens!

**Disclaimer: **Battle B-daman, its characters and related media all belong to Takara/Hasbro/Inuki Eiji. This is a work made for fun and is not for profit in any way. Only the plot and the few original characters belong to Beaslays.

* * *

**Silver Roses**

**three**  
were you hoping for something

_Flowers—_

_He was in a field of flowers, all white and swaying in the cool breeze. He stood, however, in a patch of blue roses, all stationary and unmoving. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they had begun to wilt._

_Leaning slightly, he touched one and it immediately sprung to life, blossoming into fullness and spreading its petals as he jumped back in surprise. Calming himself, he looked around and begun to lightly brush the other roses around him._

_He found himself delighted with the display of life around him as the roses became vibrant blue in color, with their petals reaching out to him and the sky._

"_So kind, to let them grow…"_

_He straightened himself, coming to alertness and looking around himself quickly. He was, as far as he could tell, completely alone—so where had that voice come from, and who had spoken?_

"_Child…oh, how you've grown…"_

_He turned, slowly, as he felt his body grow cold. Around him, the blue roses began to fall back into lifelessness, wilting into their former appearance of pale blue and drooping petals._

_When he came to a full turn, he found himself looking up at a slim figure, shining and framed with a pair of wings of white feathers, flapping and sending wind around him. The figure, a woman, held out her hand to him._

_He moved closer to her with a surprising sense of familiarity, smiling gently as he reached out to grasp her hand. She smiled back at him, bright blue eyes gleaming with pride._

"_You've grown so much, Bierce…" she said as she pulled him into the air alongside her, "Come with me…everyone wants to meet you!"_

_He nodded as he followed her, flying over the sea of roses below. His very shadow seemed to paint the roses with the color of blue, and his companion's own shadow painted them a bright orange._

_The sea of roses soon faded into rolling hills and bright, colorful meadows. Above them, the clear sky slowly turned to orange, yet _

_It only occurred to him that he was dreaming as they approached a large, looming white structure._

"_Everyone's inside," said his companion, "Come now—"_

"_Angel Silver!" A sudden shout from above them. They stopped, hovering in mid-air as another winged figure came floating down before them, a male, with cropped dark hair and wings of black._

"_Archangel," said Bierce's companion, apparently named Silver, bowing her head. Her hold on Bierce's hand tightened, and she pulled him close._

"_You would dare bring a demon to a holy place?" asked the newcomer, dark eyes shining._

"_Bierce is no demon," answered Silver, pulling him behind herself. All throughout, she kept her hand over his._

"_He _reeks_ of demonic power!"_

"_But he is no demon!"_

"_You dare to defy our laws…………"_

"…_no…but…ah…" Her voice had gotten faint, and Bierce's vision began to blur. Panicking, he lunged at the winged man._

_Then he was falling, his hand having slipped out of Silver's grasp. She screamed his name as he fell, and he could see her diving towards him, but he was falling, falling, too quickly, into the dark abyss below them…

* * *

_

He awoke with a jolt.

For what seemed to him like hours, Bierce lay in his bed, red eyes watching the gray ceiling as he let his mind wander. The memory of his dream had become hazy—he recalled roses, very vaguely, along with feathery wings and the sensation of flying.

And falling.

He shivered whenever his mind lingered on the memory of falling.

Eventually, sunlight filtered in through the single window across the room, and suddenly he felt tired, his eyes heavy as lead. Sleep had been scarce, with little thanks to a dream he could no longer remember.

He forced himself to awaken and go about his daily morning routine. Afterwards, he settled himself by the window, bitterly gazing out at the silent desert plain before him.

Yamato and the others had gone after Terry the day before. Now, it was only him, Enjyu and the women left in the Café. Yamato had refused to bring him along, even going so far as to knock him out when he had protested.

He heard the door open and close behind him, but he paid no attention to it, keeping his gaze out the window. The desert was becoming far more arid than it usually was, growing hotter and hotter with each passing day. Soon, the full heat of summer would be on them….

"Bierce," said a voice which he identified as belonging to Karat. He remained still, even as he felt hands on his shoulders. "I'll be leaving for Neon soon."

He stiffened, wondering to himself if she would leave _now_. Instead, her grip on him tightened, though with a soft growl from him she loosened it a little.

"Were you hoping for something?" he asked quietly, keeping his tone blank and emotionless. He let his face twist into something of a smile, "A goodbye, perhaps?"

"Bierce—"

He stood, shaking her hands off. His red eyes glowed as he loomed over her, despite being shorter. "Why is it that _you_ can leave as you like?" he growled, the glow of his eyes growing stronger.

"That isn't true," she said, her voice turning angry as she frowned at him, "I just have matters in Neon that require my presence—otherwise, I am as much of a slave to others as you are, Bierce."

He looked into her bright blue eyes, large with a prevailing sense of innocence yet with the slightest hint of sharpness in them. Bierce, not knowing what to say, or do, only sighed and turned away, towards the window again. Karat said nothing.

"I only wish I weren't so useless," he said after a moment, breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen over them without their noticing.

"Far from it," said Karat, moving to stand next to him, "You aren't useless Bierce…if anything, I think you're the most powerful out of all of us."

"Ha!" he said, turning to her with disbelief showing all over his face, "Me? The most powerful? A long time ago, maybe, yes, but at this time? Never."

The thought was far from unfamiliar to Bierce though. For as long as he could remember, he had always wanted to wield power—power so great that he would have control over anything he desired. He had tasted this three years ago, when he rose through the ranks of the Shadow Alliance and gained control over the entire organization.

All at the tender age of ten years. By the time he was eleven, Bierce was leading the Alliance in full out war against the IBA, the head of which was Ka—

The sudden memory of that time long past jolted him back to reality and he began to back away from the golden haired girl before him. The sudden realization that he was standing with a former enemy.

"Bierce?" Karat was moving closer to him, arms held out warily, as though he would fall into his psychotic state.

He eyed her now with caution, and perhaps some suspicion. When had he fallen into the trap of trusting Karat? He had never quite trusted her before.

"Bierce, are you all right? What's the matter?" said Karat, moving ever closer. She was leaning in, watching him with a mix of caution and concern in her expression.

Everything began to blur around him as he suddenly felt uneasy. He felt cold, and his body sluggish, despite his mind having become unusually alert. Just then, he felt himself come up against the wall, and his eyes widened as Karat moved even closer.

"You look…oh dear," she said, touching the back of her hand to his forehead, "You should rest…"

She seemed to offer this with genuine care, yet, as she moved to pull him towards the bed _darkness filled the room, the sky outside having suddenly gone dark. He jerked away with alarm as tendrils of dark substance began to lick at his arm where she had grasped him. Letting his gaze follow the black substance, he saw that Karat had turned completely black in color. She glowed with bluish light, and she was smiling, showing a full set of white teeth against the blackness of her skin._

_Her eyes were glowing white as she moved towards him; her movements mad an odd clicking noise._

"_Come now, little Bierce! Would you not want to rest?" she said, her voice taking on a scraping quality. It hurt his ears, and, he was suddenly filled with the desire to flee._

_She reached out to him, and he saw that her arms had turned into tentacles of black, fluid matter. As they suddenly lashed out at him, he ducked and, with nimbleness he did not know he had, rolled away to the side._

_He leapt to his feet, dashing towards the door with Karat—no, the monster in hot pursuit. When he touched the door handle though, he jerked back on impulse, shocked at the dark, sticky substance now oozing out of the door._

_His way out was blocked. With renewed resolve, he turned, slowly, but certainly, to face the monster. It laughed, rising and growing larger so that, as it crouched to leer at him, it touched the ceiling. Its laughter shook him, yet, he readied himself before lunging forward_

_It was only now that he registered the weapon in his hand. It had materialized seemingly from nowhere, a black blade with a golden hilt. With his momentum, he pushed it straight through the monster's form._

_It screeched and _everything was white, bright and he felt as though he was going blind and—

Something heavy collided with his head, sending him flying against the wall. He blinked, recovering his vision and his sense. Sitting up, he saw Enjyu standing there, eyes blazing with outrage and fists clenched tightly.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" shouted the redhead. Bierce blinked; he was entirely unaware of anything that could have transpired to make Enjyu angry. Looking around though, he saw Karat sitting up with Liena and Mie's help. The first was gasping for breath, clutching her chest and her eyes were wide with shock.

"What…what happened…?" asked Bierce, still slightly dazed from his impact with the wall.

"You little shit," snarled Enjyu, reaching down and pulling him up by the front of his shirt, "Pretending not to know—!" With another snarl, he threw Bierce against the wall again, causing the dark haired boy to cry out with pain. Bierce flung his hands up in an effort to protect himself as Enjyu pulled him up again, one hand drawn back and cackling with energy as small orbs of purple light came to his fingertips.

"_Enjyu!_" shouted Mie, "_That's __**enough!**_"

Enjyu turned to look at her, before looking back at Bierce. Mie was pointing at him, eyes burning with fury. Her other hand was set firmly on her hip, and a faint, reddish glow surrounded her. Slowly, Enjyu lowered his raised arm, before throwing Bierce against the wall again, a look of disgust plastered across his face. He turned and stormed past Mie and out the room.

Mie watched him go, before turning to Bierce with a dark look on her face. "Liena," she said, keeping her gaze on him, "Take Karat to your room and start tending to her. As for you…" She walked over to him and reached down, pulling him to his feet by the arm.

Instinctively, he struggled against her until she suddenly struck him across the cheek with the palm of her hand. Stunned less from the pain than from the shock that she had dared to slap him, he went limp in her grip, letting her lead him to the bed. He sat when she instructed such, remaining unaware of the icy glare he was receiving from Liena even as she left the room with Karat in tow.

He heard, faintly, the click of the door swinging shut. Bierce found that he gone numb, his body already guessing at what could come next. The last time someone slapped him, he had been beaten to within an inch of his life.

He was brought back to reality when Mie shook him, her grip firm but gentle. Bierce looked up at her, meeting her concerned gaze.

"Bierce," she said, "Why did you…what happened?"

He stiffened, looking away from her. Images of Karat morphing into the monster from earlier came to his mind, and he clutched his head and shook it quickly in an attempt to clear the images away.

"You can tell me," said Mie, kneeling so as to be eye level with him. Still, he avoided her gaze, holding his head and staring at his lap with wide eyes.

Then, suddenly, Mie had her arms around him and he was pressed against her. She sighed, holding him tightly as he felt something wet fall onto his head. Looking up, he saw that she had begun to cry, tears forming rivulets down her cheeks.

"I wish you would tell me," she said softly, "I may not be anything to you, but you're Yamato's friend and…that's more than enough for me. You're…Yamato trusts you, so I trust you too but…but out of all of Yamato's friends, you're the only one I don't know if I _should_ trust…"

He remained silent, growing uneasy at her touch. Having lived under her roof for a few years, he knew very well that Mie was one prone to mood swings, easily angered, even outright violent, at times, while at others she was as caring and gentle as she was now. Having raised Yamato alone in a world such as theirs…it was expected, that she would be as fierce as she often was.

Now, he remained tense, still avoiding her gaze.

Mie sighed again, releasing him from her hug. "I only wish you would trust me as you trust Yamato…"

She appeared to be completely sincere, and when Bierce glanced up to look at her in the eyes, he regretted it immediately. She was watching him with the saddest look he had ever seen on her, and a part of him wanted to tell her everything.

So he did. He gave in; gently, he chipped away at a few of the secrets he held. He told her of the strange dreams and of the faint memory of someone holding him close. Despite his confiding in her though, he avoided any mention of the angels, and he described the earlier incident with Karat in vague terms.

When he finally finished, the sun was almost high in the sky and his mouth felt dry. Mie had listened quietly, at one point moving to sit next to him. She had offered no commentary, nor did she interrupt him at all. All she did was sit there and listen.

Now, she stood, not meeting his eyes. He fell silent, looking at the floor, expecting words of comfort or perhaps her advice. She would hug him some more, then tell him it was okay and that he would go apologize to Karat, explain a little and everything would be all right. He had seen her do this before, though rarely. She had calmed down the emotionally unstable Bull, had given advice to a confused and lost Enjyu, and had comforted a heartbroken Terry.

Contrary to his expectations, Bierce received none.

"Pack up," said Mie suddenly, turning to look at him. Her eyes had turned icy as she looked him over. "Start packing up now, there's a spare backpack in Yamato's room, you can borrow it."

"…what?" Bierce let his jaw hang open as he gaped at her, eyes wide. Was she about to send him away? Was she about to tell him to leave forever, and to never come back? She…she wouldn't…she couldn't…

…would she?

"Come downstairs when you're done packing," she said, turning and moving to the door, "I expect you won't need more than an extra set of clothes and the usual traveling things. But bring along what you must. It wouldn't do for Yamato to come home and find that two of his friends tore each other apart!"

He felt his heart calm and slow to a less frantic rate. So she was not sending him away completely, but sending him off on a trip. Yes, yes, that was good. He was still safe.

He let out a breath he had not known he was holding once the door clicked shut behind Mie. He sat there for a moment, staring blankly at the floor, his mind running through the possible scenarios that could happen.

But…this was what he had wanted, wasn't it? He had wanted to go out, to leave this place and go help Yamato…

Slowly, Bierce stood, red eyes burning as he went to gather his belongings.

* * *

Hours later found Bierce wandering through a small forest, his stomach growling loudly and likely scaring all the animals away. Mie had sent him off with instructions to seek out the Sage Armada, and Bierce had agreed without a word, putting up a cheerful countenance while avoiding the dark looks Enjyu had been sending him. In his mind though, he cursed Mie for sending him off like this, he cursed Armada for being a cat and for living out in the wilderness, and, most of all, he cursed the B-damage for shaping the world so haphazardly. After all, it was likely only on the Bdaworld that deserts gave way so suddenly to lush forests.

He sighed as he sat and lowered the green rucksack he had "borrowed" from Yamato. A quick glance around told him he was in a safe area, and, without any further commotion, he pulled out a sandwich.

The sandwich was out of his hands scarcely a few seconds after he took it out.

Outraged, he leapt to his feet, roaring obscenities at whoever was there. All he received was taunting laughter.

Fuming, Bierce turned around, slowly. He closed his eyes, trusting his other senses more than he trusted his sight. A rustle, somewhere north—then another, to the east—

He spun around and shot a ball of blue energy to the south. A loud yelp reached his ears, and he smirked, striding calmly to the slightly singed bushes.

Now, his curiosity began to get the better of him, and he reached down, preparing to push aside the thin foliage. Through it, he could see, just faintly, something white in color lying stationary.

The moment his hands touched the leaves, something white and heavy slammed into his hand, throwing him off balance as the white creature shot out of the bushes and straight for something behind him—

His rucksack.

With wide eyes he spun around and let loose another ball of energy. It connected with its target, who yelped once more before collapsing to the ground, dropping his rucksack. Slowly, Bierce neared it, one hand raised and already charging an energy ball. The white creature groaned, rolling over, and he saw that it was, in fact, a cat humanoid.

"Okay, okay! I surrender!" it said, in a voice Bierce recognized to be female, "I'll pay you back for that stupid sandwich!"

He lowered his hand, stepping back as the cat popped open a golden eye. When it saw he was no longer threatening it, it opened the other eye, revealing bright, shining blue underneath. It purred, smiling at him as it stood, coming up to stand a full head taller than him.

Annoyed, he grabbed his rucksack and turned away, no longer hungry. He would have to hurry if he wanted to find Armada before nightfall.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Ignoring the desolate wail, he continued on. The cat would only get in his way…

Lost in his thoughts, he was startled and thrown off his feet when the cat reappeared before him, hanging upside down from the tree above them. Bierce growled, glaring at the cat as he stood and rubbed his aching rear end.

"What do you want?" he snarled, picking up his rucksack and dusting himself off. "You already took a sandwich from me, and I don't entertain strays."

"Ouch, so rude!" said the cat, crossing its arms. He frowned as it dropped down and landed on its feet, standing and grinning at him. It reached a paw out at him, blue and golden eyes shining brightly. "You're looking for a way out of this forest, right? I can help you with that!"

He blinked, staring at the outreached paw, before casting his gaze all over it. Now that they stood on equal ground, he saw it was dressed in some kind of revealing outfit, with something like a miniskirt hanging off its hips and a top barely covering its chest. A quick glance at its furred face confirmed that it, too was scrutinizing him.

"No," he said, turning. He would find another way past it, he decided. Much to his annoyance, the cat did not back down, instead grabbing his arm and whirling him around to face it. He snarled as it did so, and he could feel his blood turning hot with anger.

This seemed to have the intended effect, as the cat released him, raising its hands before itself defensively. It blinked at him, eyes wide and shimmering with fear even as he raised his hand, curled into a fist over his head.

He froze at its expression, so wide and lost and fearful. For a brief moment, he saw a small dark-haired boy with flame colored eyes cowering in a corner, crying as a cat humanoid with reddish fur lashed at him repeatedly. Then—the moment was over, and Bierce was standing before a white-furred cat humanoid, one of his hands raised and poised to attack.

Slowly, he lowered his hand and began to back away from the cat, his eyes wide. As he stepped back, the cat lifted its head, watching him, quietly, before slowly rising, reaching its paws out warily to him.

He turned and fled, not bothering to collect his rucksack.

* * *

A/N: And now...the main plot can get started...!

I only realize now that Karat is pretty OOC...oh well...

Also, check out the B-daman LJ community! I've posted something that could be used as really useful reference--that is, the Directory of Battle B-daman Characters, typed up straight from the manga and as canon as you can get! :P

Reviews are, of course, much appreciated.


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